Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 179
Chapter 179: The Wealthy Daughter
As I slept, a smartphone carelessly tossed above my head let out a loud noise.
?Good morning to both of you. It’s time to wake up.?
“Ugh, is it already that time…?”
“Fuhnya~”
Waking up to the emotionless voice of ?Lucifel?, which has recently become more of an alarm clock than a support system in the game, Sora slowly lifted her small body from the bed and directed her gaze toward the clock hanging on the wall.
It was 7:10 AM.
Time-wise, it was getting critical to start getting ready for school.
As I carelessly stripped off my T-shirt and shorts, I changed into the designated white shirt and navy pants for boys at Kamisato High School, while subtly avoiding eye contact with Kurono, who, for some reason, had no hesitation in changing right next to me.
I should probably say something about it, but my brain isn’t functioning right now, and it’s a hassle.
Since she’s like a little sister to me, it would be weirder to care.
With that thought, I tried not to think about it, but then I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort and turned my gaze toward the window with the curtains closed.
Huh? Is it bright outside?
Despite it having rained for an entire week, sunlight was streaming in from outside.
Wondering if the disaster in ?Astral Online? had disappeared, I walked cautiously toward the window with Kurono still behind me, and I slowly opened the curtains.
A stark contrast unfolded before them. A sky of endless blue above and a deluge below, a torrential rain that pounded the earth.
Oh… what’s this?
No matter how you looked at it, it was abnormal weather.
This was clear evidence that the effects of ?Astral Online? had not yet vanished.
The rain was pouring down with such intensity that students walking outside with umbrellas and salarymen in suits looked utterly exhausted.
Just by looking through the window, I could tell that getting to school without getting wet would be quite a challenge, so it was clear that their feelings were undoubtedly at rock bottom.
As I wondered if we would feel the same way soon, I sighed while gazing at the real sun, which I hadn’t seen in a while.
Ugh, I really don’t want to go to school.
While I was having such thoughts, Kurono, who had come over to check on what was happening, exclaimed, “Whoa, that’s amazing!”
While I felt deflated, she seemed to be shining with excitement.
As I reflected on what it meant to be young, despite still being a first-year high school student, the door behind me opened, and someone walked in.
Using my recently habitual perception skill, I realized it was my sister, Shiori. I turned around and let out a second sigh before asking what was going on.
Shiori looked a bit exasperated at my low energy and said,
“I just got a message from Inori-san saying that the butler will be picking you up, so you should get ready.”
“…Really? That’s a huge help!”
Sora’s mood brightened just a little.
Walking in this rain would mean getting soaked again, just like last time, and having to wear a girl’s uniform. So, I’m really grateful for the ride.
With that settled, I tried to leave the room to quickly finish breakfast, but Kurono lightly tapped my shoulder.
Turning around, I found the girl with a single question.
“By the way, since Inori-chan has a butler, is she really wealthy?”
At her question, I realized that I hadn’t properly explained that before.
………………….
A black Benz carrying four girls, one of whom was actually a boy, dropped Shiori off in front of the middle school before driving off into the heavy rain again.
As I watched the heartwarming scene of Kurono waving back at my sister, I took a seat directly across from Inori, who was facing the spacious area.
Receiving my gaze, the girl who, like her avatar in the game, had one eye hidden behind her long hair, shivered slightly.
When I conveyed Kurono’s curiosity, I obtained permission and shared the information I had previously learned from her.
“Um, Inori’s family is a well-known wealthy family around here, and they run a first-class hotel chain that operates worldwide, right?”
“Yeah, that’s correct…”
“Wow, that’s amazing that you have a butler and maids!”
“…Other people say similar things too.”
Inori had two people, a butler and a maid, who took care of her and provided transportation.
The reason was that her parents, who were often away for work, wanted to support her living situation since she was frail and struggled to take care of herself.
By the way, it was just support. They didn’t do everything for her.
Her parents were most concerned that if she stayed bedridden because of her health issues, she would end up being completely helpless.
Therefore, depending on her physical condition, it seems she does some housework as well.
For Inori, those two were more like friends or family rather than mere servants.
Occasionally, she would invite the families of the two over to the mansion, and they would all have meals together.
“…That said, it’s not like she has no interaction with her parents. They bought her a VR game so she could have fun since she can’t play outside, and they would sometimes play games with her. Right now… it seems they’re busy with all the stuff going on in ?Astral Online?…”
“Yeah, they’re strict but kind parents.”
Hearing about her parents made my heart skip a beat, but maybe because she finally met Arisa, Kurono smiled and nodded at Inori’s words.
Inori, with a somewhat tense expression, stared intently at Kurono.
Noticing her intent to say something, Sora decided to quietly watch.
“Um, Kurono-chan, there’s something I want you to… see…”
“What is it, Inori-chan?”
As the sudden topic made the girl tilt her head in confusion, Inori moved her long hair, which was hiding her left eye, to the side.
What appeared there wasn’t a black eye but a blue one.
—Odd-eye.
This condition, known as heterochromia, is when the iris color differs between the two eyes or when part of the iris in one eye is discolored.
In elementary school, Inori had been bullied for having different colored eyes, which had since become a complex for her, leading her to grow her hair long to hide it.
She wanted to show this to Kurono right now because she didn’t want to keep secrets from someone who treated her as a friend.
The hand of the girl revealing everything trembled slightly.
What if she received the same reaction from others who had rejected her when she was small?
Considering such a possibility, Inori felt a light sweat bead on her forehead.
But I wasn’t worried at all.
Because it was Kurono.
Seeing Inori’s nervous face, the girl seemed to understand something and then smiled softly.
“You have beautiful eyes, they’re just like jewels.”
“…My, my parents and Sora-kun have said the same thing…”
Inori’s face, which had been tense, transformed into one that looked like she might cry.
Kurono lightly shifted her seat to sit next to Inori and gently touched her hand.
“Thank you for showing me, Inori-chan.”
“…Y-Yeah.”
As Sora watched the two girls truly become friends, she felt a warm sensation fill her heart.
Now, she felt even more motivated for the underwater temple that would start today.
Just then, as she was thinking that, the car stopped in front of the school, and she heard the students outside screaming.
Startled, Sora quickly moved and stepped outside the car, where she witnessed something unbelievable.
A creature with a red shell and sharp pincers.
It was staring at her with two eyes.
Without a doubt, it was the monster ?Increasing Crab? from ?Astral Online?.